Pet Peeves
by MistChaser
Summary: An in-depth analysis of May and Drew's relationship. Contestshipping


Hello! So this is not an actual fanfic but I started reading contestshipping fanfics again and I noticed that a good number of the stories are OOC. And not just, slight OOC, it's more of not being able to recognize the characters anymore. I know it's fanfiction, however, it's still nice to read something that justifies the series itself. I came across a post on tumblr and I hope trostlegendaerie doesn't mind but I'm going to copy paste the points she said.

Source: trostlegendaerie dot tumblr dot com slash post slash 27127671277 slash contestshipping-headcanons (I'm sorry, link won't appear unless I do this.)

It's actually better to read the source itself because there are images which justify these observations further and it might be confusing without them.

(start)

"Today is Contestshipping Day. Oh, how I wish I had known about this before. Apparently my subconscious did because I had shipping dreams again?

But it's not all good.

I'd love to be able to go back to FF.N and binge happily on 'shippy fics all day and through most of the night. But to be honest, I'm kinda scared. I haven't really read or written any Contestshipping in, like, three years (Romancing a Blond Brunette not withstanding) and I have extremely strict headcanons by now and… yeah.

Time to share them (and fic pet peeves) with the class.

DISCLAIMER: I haven't read any fics recently, so these might just be outdated but… they're probably not. If you know of any fics that follow these guidelines for the love of all that is holy, TELL ME ABOUT THEM VIA ASK.

**1. Drew is not a suave socializing womanizer**

No, really. The vast majority of fics out there (and don't get me wrong some of them are still entertaining) have painted Drew as this really hot, really popular guy who everyone loves.

However, what a lot of people forget is how Drew generally acts around this sort of praise or attention. Especially outside of the area.

Consider 'A Fan With A Plan.'

'_That is so photoshopped.'_

This is how he reacts when swarmed by the ladies. With fear and confusion. This isn't the only case, of course; he generally skips out at big social events, like both the parties after the Grand Festivals, and he travels alone.

Let's also analyze his clothing:

Okay, ignoring the freaking bizarre color choices, the first thing we should notice is how almost all of his skin is covered. When he's not on stage, he actually has his hands in his pockets a lot, and both of those would indicate a sort of anti-social or shy qualities (he doesn't want to reveal himself/interact much with people on a personal level). You might be tempted to call BS on that because he's such a 'performer,' but that's different. It's impersonal. Plus, Solidad calls him out for always trying to put the spotlight on his Pokemon more than himself.

_Compared to this, Drew is downright subtle._

Then let's jump way ahead and consider 'Spontaneous Combusken' as part of our anti-womanizing tirade.

_Thank you Japan for giving us ten year old boy fanservice._

May is the one who instigates this whole interaction, egging them both on (much to Drew's irritation, as shown by his glare at her as he shakes hands with Brianna) and while he is certainly polite he excuses himself quickly and does not seem to enjoy it.

I'd also like to cite this episode for the 'Drew is really not that suave' argument, because a large portion of the time everyone is giving him crap about his rose-giving habits.

_PRECIOUS AWKWARD BABY LET ME LOVE YOU_

**2. If it's one sided, it should be more Drew - May and less May - Drew**

First of all, and playing in a bit to the 'Drew is not suave' bit, Drew is never subtle. _Ever_. His own Pokemon 'ship him with May, along with pretty much every coordinator in the whole series + Caroline, May's own mother. There are no mixed signals, May just _does not get it._

_It's symmmbooooliiiiiic~_

Need I remind you that Solidad even made Drew - May canon?

_'He's gotten feelings for you.'  
'HUH?'_

Now, a little bit of May - Drew is not bad by any stretch. But there are so many_goddamn angst songfics_ about her pining over him I'm going to kill something. (Teardrops on My Guitar should never be played in my presence.)

**3. Drew is a nice guy.**

This is seriously the worst offender on the list. Maybe I should have grouped it in with the top section, but it's a big enough problem that it deserved mention on it's own. Because of reasons.

So often, I see Drew being written as this domineering, insulting bad boy. He is really none of those things. Especially not a bad boy.

First of all, he's really not that bossy or dominant. If I were to peg him as anything, it'd be more of a sub than a dom by the way that he spends a lot of his time trying to get May mad at him.

_'Did you save me?'_

For the love of God, though, don't make him a whiny loser though. Please.

My kinks aside, let's move to the second point on the list. Pretty much all of his teasing she either can shrug off or it's actually constructive criticism wrapped up in a jab.

Fandom:_ 'Wow, May, you're such a loser, why do you even bother trying?'_  
Actual: _'Botched up combination, huh? Figures. You're very indecisive.'_

Why specifically this way? Two things. One, Drew is acting like a boy with a crush (teasing) and also he seems to be very perceptive about how others tick. Remember how he dealt with Brianna? He was sweet and polite to her, and it boosted her confidence. Remember when someone boosted May's confidence? 'Cruisin' For A Losin.'

Also I could not call myself a proper shipper if I didn't bring up the fact that he was the only cast member to be right about Harley in the Hoenn Grand Festival all along. Granted, this could have been him just being jealous (he is pretty much always cold/distant to Ash and co.) but still.

_Bad animation or bad attitude? Who cares, let's ship it._

Lastly, he is not a bad boy. He's not some kind of mysterious tough guy with a tortured past (your parents will love him) and in his debut episode he fights Team Rocket.

He doesn't know who they are, he just helps May and co. out because it seemed like the right thing to do.

_'Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but SOLAR BEAM ROSELIA!'_ *EXPLOSION*

He also fights TR in the Wynaut episode (to rescue May), again in 'Going For Choke' (again to help May) and in 'On Cloud Arcanine.' He even passes up the chance to capture the titular Pokemon since it would break up the family. D'awww.

But more upsetting to me than Drew being consistently written 'OOC' is the fact that people like reading him when he's written like that. An insulting/controlling/domineering/jealous/bad boy should not be idolized. (I blame Twilight, but w/e.)

Girls, you deserve better than that. You should never, ever be in a relationship where a guy does not make you feel loved. Not like his servant, not like his goddess. You should always feel loved and be able to love in return. Do not accept anything less than this.

Well, I'm going to get off this soap box. Here's some last fanservice to close the post and maybe make your day a little better.

_Look at how he just looks at her, seriously. I think I just punched myself in the feels._

Comments? Headcanons of your own? My ask box is always open~

(/end/)

I really hope you took the time to read this. I don't usually feel the need to voice out my opinions because as an avid fan, fanfics are something I'm thankful for.


End file.
